Sorceress in the Shadows
by AriaMirror1028
Summary: War has begun but what will happen in the aftermath. Can the world be healed after the destruction of the final battle of the war between man and magic? What will happen to the princess of the goblin realm now that the world of her childhood has been changed forever? Warnings: mentions of rape, sexual themes, and spanking. Sequel to Witch in Training. NuadaXOC
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Labyrinth or Hellboy. I am just borrowing them for fun.**

**Author's Note: This is the sequel to Witch in Training. I hope you enjoy it. I may write a story in this series to go between Witch and training and this one. Feel free to review. I prefer signed reviews. Anonymous review will be ignored.**

**Prologue**

Prince Nuada was correct in his last moments of life that Aboveground humans would never truly accept magical beings. In the end one holocaust would win out over the other and the final decision belonged to Anung Un Rama.

Little did any who were present at the death of the Silverlance twins know of the prophecy about the aftermath of this one last war. For it was said that when either human or magic drew it's last breath in the Aboveground the enemy of those who are dead will rise having died in the attempt to destroy the opposing race. From his ashes he shall be reborn and stir the heart of a lost princess. By their love alone could peace be restored to the four elements.

When the day came Anung Un Rama, torn by grief at the death of his son and daughter by prejudice human hands, turned on the people he once fought to protect. Following his lead a great war ensued. Magical beings of both the Aboveground and the Underground came to his aid. The war was fast and hard and some in the Underground didn't care who won as long as it ended soon.

On the fields of Ireland many on both sides were dying. No one saw one sorceress fall, appearing dead to the human that had fought her. As her opponent moved on to the next attacker her limp body slipped easily through the unseen hole in the ground.

**Author's Note: That should set the scene for the rest of this. Feel free to take guesses as to what will happen in reviews. I would love to see how my readers interpret the prophecy I came up with for this story. Who knows? You might give me some ideas with it. Inspiration can come from anywhere. If I find your guess interesting I may send you a message to encourage you to use it yourself.**


	2. Waking in Darkness

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**AN: Okay so the Prologue was a little strange. Let's see what you think of the actual story now. On to chapter 1.**

**Chapter 1. Waking in Darkness**

Mismatched eyes opened and blinked a few times as the girl sat up. Her head throbbed as she attempted to look around. She wasn't surprised to find that she couldn't see anything though she couldn't remember why it shouldn't be surprising. What did surprise her is that she didn't remember anything.

She could faintly hear the sound of a battle from above and concluded that she was underground. The scent of dirt and dust filled her nostrils, confirming her hypothesis. Feeling with her hands she crawled deeper into the cave. She wanted to get as far away from the battle as she could.

"Hey," a strange voice approached, "Who are you? What are you doing down here?"

She tried to think but found no answer to either question, "I…I don't know," her unseeing eyes darted around in their sockets as though searching for her lost memories on the ground.

There was a light tapping sound and the creak of wood against wood almost like wheels, "What do you mean you don't know?"

"I…um…I'm afraid I don't remember," she felt self-conscious and wrapped her arms around herself in a partial fetal position.

"Oh, you don't do you? Well I guess you'll just have to stay safely down here until you do. No way to know for sure which side you're on up there," the voice continued, "Come on. Follow me."

"I can't," she replied immediately.

"You can't what," he asked.

"I can't follow you. I can't see," she rubbed her head trying to stop the pain she had until now ignored.

"Ah, well, we'll just have to be extra careful until you learn your way around. Here, give me your hand. Stand up. I'll lead you to a safer spot," he assured her.

She stood, stumbling slightly with exhaustion, and reached toward the voice. A callused hand took hold of hers and placed it on a think ye soft shoulder that could only have been as high off the ground as her waist. She followed, checking each step carefully before applying her weight to the foot she stepped with.

"Here we are. There's a bed on the floor in front of you. I know it's not much but it's better than sleeping on stone and dirt," he said stopping after a few minutes of leading her through the place.

She let go of his shoulder and lowered herself to the floor. As she crawled forward she found what felt to be a long unused futon. She brushed some of the dust off the sheets and old fashioned pillow before crawling under the covers to sleep.

~.~.~

She dreamt of mist in a familiar place. At least it felt familiar. The water to her right was foggy like a marsh and if there was land on the other side she couldn't see it through the heavy blanket of fog. The mist on the other hand barely hid the never ending forest of embers to her left. The sand beneath her feet was moist. What felt like it should have been a source of peace came across as eerie.

"Ella," called a voice from the distance, "Ella," the name was drawn out as if being sung, "Ella," the woman's voice only added to the creepy feeling pressing through her.

The voice came from in front of her in the distance. Turning she ran from it. She kept running until darkness filled her vision once again and she found herself sitting up on the futon gasping for breath.

"You alright there kid," she heard the voice of the creature that had guided her to the bed coming from somewhere in front of her and to the left, "You've been tossing and whimpering for five minutes."

"Why didn't you wake me," she asked sensing a heat in the air that was not there before she went to sleep.

"Don't know what you are. It's unwise to wake someone not knowing what they are, especially from a nightmare. You never know how they will react between terror sleep and waking," he explained.

She sniffed the air and felt her stomach rumble, "Are you cooking something?"

"Soup with fresh vegetables in it," he answered, "Are you hungry?"

She nodded, "Yes."

"Well get up then. Table is directly to your left. You may have to walk a few paces but it's safe," he instructed.

She obeyed and easily found a chair by a table. As she sat down she heard the sound of creaking metal and some sloshing liquid, which she could only assume was the soup being pulled away from the fire. She heard him ladling some soup into bowls and then the tapping and creaking of him approaching the table. A pause followed by a light thud on the table told her he had placed a bowl in front of her.

"Spoon is by your right hand," he said before she heard him start eating his own soup.

She found the spoon and put some soup in her mouth then recoiled and spluttered as the liquid burned her tongue.

"Careful it's hot," he stated.

"You could have told me," she pointed out.

"I'm trying to figure out what you are," he informed her, "This rules out draconian, fire sprite, and fire kinesial. Any of them would not be burned by hot liquids such as this."

"Maybe you could warn me before your next test," she suggested and cautiously blew on the next spoonful.

"Alright. Here's the next test. Move your hair behind your ear," he commanded.

"What are you going to do to it," she leaned away nervously.

"I'm just going to look at it," he assured her.

She nodded and brushed her hair behind her ear as best as she could. She hadn't noticed how dirty it was until now. It was caked with dirt and some sort of dry crusty substance. She felt his gaze on her ear as she ate.

"Not an elf. Your ears are more rounded and not slightly pointed as elves are," he finally said.

They finished eating and he helped her move to sit by the fire. For a long time they sat in silence and she tried to think of anything from her past.

He finally spoke when her head started to hurt, "Getting closer. You'd be sick from the wolves bane in the soup if you were a werewolf and a vampire would have complained of thirst by now after eating a vegetarian meal."

"Good to know," she raised an eyebrow at this, "You didn't warn me about that test either."

"Would you have risked it if I had," he inquired.

She thought for a moment and shook her head, "No."

"That's why I didn't warn you," he confirmed.

**TBC…**

**AN: So what did you think? Be honest. I can take it but please log in when you review.**


	3. Narrowing it Down

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Author's Note: I know I'm late for my update here. I got distracted by Twilight. I can not promise that it won't happen again but I can promise that Twilight does not show up in this series. Any Vampires I put in here will need some sort of a charm or enchantment to allow them to move about in the sunlight. Feel free to suggest scenarios on that if you like as I want them to be unique to the story rather than copies of Vampire Diaries. Back to the story now.**

**Chapter 2 Narrowing it Down**

"You have got to be kidding me," she stated crossing her arms.

"It's the only way around here you're going to get clean," he replied.

"I am _NOT _undressing with you right there," she insisted.

"Well that narrows it down. You're not a succubus. They don't care who sees them naked," he said in an amused tone.

"That's nice. Now may I please have some privacy," she remarked.

"Alright. I'm leaving a towel here for you. I'll go see what I can find for clean clothes you can wear," he agreed.

She waited until she was sure he'd left the room before removing the leather armor. Apparently he feared to go above during times of war so they had no idea what being would wear this armor. It certainly didn't feel thick or heavy enough to withstand weapon attacks. There certainly were plenty of garments to the ensemble though. Boots, leggings, a miniskirt, a corset over a closefitting long sleeved shirt and a pair of gloves had to be removed before she could bathe.

She stepped into what he had described as a natural lake in the caves of the underground city. It was cold which was to be expected. She waded deeper until she was up to her shoulders and treading. There must have been magic in the water because she felt the caked on dirt all but disintegrate from her skin with barely any effort from her. She relaxed and let her head go under, easily taking the filth from her matted hair.

When she had gotten almost entirely clean she swam back to the shore. It took her a minute to find the towel so she could dry off. Once she was as dry as she was going to get she wrapped it around herself and felt her way back to the room she was living in. She found a place near the fire to sit and let the heat dry her hair. It was only a few minutes later that she heard him returning.

"I got you some clothes and a hairbrush," he said and she felt him place something made of metal in her hand.

Upon further inspection she noticed soft bristles on the other side and realized this was the brush. She began brushing through the now clean but still tangled mess. There must have been magic in the brush too since even the hardest knots unwound themselves painlessly as the brush pulled through.

"That eliminates human. The brush would not work it's magic on human hair. Thank goodness too. If you were human your hair would be twice as tangled now as it was before you brushed it," he spoke.

"Isn't there a surefire way to do this without all these random tests," she inquired.

"Nope. We have narrowed the list down a bit though. Let's see. Earth kinesals and genies always have dark hair and you're blonde. For the next test I'll need to see your back," he replied causing her to pause in her brushing.

After a moment of insecure thought she set the brush down and pulled her wet hair to rest on her shoulder before loosening the towel, which felt more like a small thick blanket, just enough to show her back and keep her front covered. She waited a few seconds while he examined her freshly cleaned skin.

"No markings. Some creatures have two scar like markings on their backs to show where the wings retract to help them hide among humans," he observed.

"So what does that eliminate," she asked.

"All forms of sprite, pixie, and fairy," he sounded like he was thinking, "How was your bath? Anything strange happen?"

"Other than all forms of filth practically fleeing my body, no, not really," she tried vainly to retighten the towel.

"Not a mermaid then. Don't worry child. We'll figure out what you are," he assured her and she heard him moving to leave the room, " Your clothes are by the brush."

Once he was well out of the room she reached over to find the clothes he'd left her. They were soft and she was easily able to determine what order to put them on in. A pair of pants that reached her ankles acted as an undergarment to the full length long gown. It fit close around her waist, chest, and neck but the sleeves flowed out. A robe like garment went over the dress and a thick sash went around her waist.

He soon returned and informed her that there were seventeen different possibilities left but that those could not be tested. They would just have to wait and see if anything happens. Until then she'd have to wait and remember what she was or at least something about her past.

**TBC…**

**AN: I know it's not very long but it will have to do for now. Let me know what you thing so far.**


	4. Songs and Spells

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Author's note: I had to remove lyrics she sang in this chapter to keep in the boundaries of site rules but the first song was "I Won't Let You Go" by Avril Lavigne. The second one is "Once Upon a December" from the movie Anastasia. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Let me know what you think. I love reviews. I love them more if you sign in.**

**Ch3. Songs and Spells**

It had been a year since she'd woken down here with no memory. She still had no solid memories and had taken to cleaning in the time she had in this place. The one who'd found her, whom she'd found out was a goblin, told her that if magic won the war the Bethmoora clan might return to their home. She figured they might like to find it clean.

Today she was cleaning the throne room. Often she found herself singing songs from her past. Though she remembered them she had no idea where she had learned them. Her goblin friend had heard some of them before and knew them to be human songs, thus eliminating siren from the possibilities list as they only sing the songs of their own kind. A new song came to her today as she scrubbed the floor. Hoping to spark a memory she began to sing.

About halfway through the first chorus she realized something was happening. Magic pulsed through her and while it scared her something told her it was a bad idea to stop in the middle of the spell. She completed the song and the magic slowly faded taking with it an uncomfortable ache in her spirit she hadn't even noticed before now.

Her hands stopped scrubbing and her body tensed as an unexpected memory flashed into the forefront of her mind. It was dark but she felt the sheets of a bed and someone was holding her. He was telling her a story. She remembered every word like she had heard it a thousand times. From the beginning of creation to the death of the prince and princess of Bethmoora. It was the story of the same golden army the goblin was currently melting down into metal bars for future use.

She smiled at the finding of her first solid memory and continued cleaning the floor. If she kept thinking about it she might be able to figure out who her story teller was.

Nuada stood confused in the center of the throne room. His most recent memory was of dieing in this very same spot on which he now stood unharmed. Feeling his confusion mirrored in his bond with his sister he looked to the raised platform where he'd seen her laying in her dear Abraham's arms for her last moments of life. There she stood staring back at him.

The sound of singing drew his attention to the blonde girl in elven clothes currently scrubbing the floor. He recognized the blue garments as his sister's clothes. Her hair tucked behind her ear revealed that she was not an elf. If she had noticed their presence she showed no outward signs. He began looking around for his weapons and when he saw none he moved to kill her with his bare hands.

His sister's voice speaking Gaelic stopped him, "Don't do it."

At the sound the girl paused and looked up. So she hadn't been aware of them. He narrowed his eyes. He was getting really tired of hearing Nuala use that phrase. This time he obeyed. They couldn't be sure that she was human and even if she was at least she was making herself useful.

"Hello," she asked, "Who's there?"

"I am Princess Nuala. Who are you," his sister walked towards the girl calmly.

The girl's mismatched eyes looked in the direction of Nuala's voice but where obvious, by the way she stared into space and did not follow their target, to show that she was blind, "I don't really know. I have few memories beyond this past year."

Nuala moved to kneel beside the girl, "Give me your hand."

She may not know much but she was sure of one thing. When you're vulnerable and royalty gives you and order your best bet is to do as you're told. Obediently she let go of the scrub brush and offered her hand. She felt the soft slender hand against her palm for a few moments before she was released to continue scrubbing.

"So it's true. You don't even know what you are. Though if I had to guess I'd say you're a sorceral being. It would explain how you can tell us where the dirt is for you to clean and how you resurrected us," the princess spoke gently.

"Us," the girl tilted her head to the side in confusion.

"My brother and I. He's here too but he hasn't spoken yet," Nuala explained.

"Oh, well I'll just keep cleaning then if neither of you have any other orders for me," she continued scrubbing.

Nuada stepped forward now and spoke up, "How about some food. Can you cook?"

She shrugged, "Don't know. By this time of day the goblin will have begun to make dinner and will call for me any minute. He always makes more than enough for us both to eat. Perhaps you could join us when he calls."

"That would be lovely. Thank you," Nuala spoke up before Nuada could voice his irritation at what he deemed as her disobedience.

She continued scrubbing the floor while the royal twins contemplated what they should do now that they were alive again. It was not long before they heard the goblin calling.

"Excellent job cleaning the stairs child. It's time to come down and eat now," she put down the brush and stood.

"Be careful on the way down. We don't need another accident," she heard him shout.

She stopped when she felt the edge of the top step beneath her foot. She realized then that she hadn't really thought this through. Upstairs was easy. Downstairs was dangerous. Nuada raised an eyebrow. This girl was going to be high maintenance whether she intended to be or not. She was currently taking one step at a time at a painfully slow pace. She was only on the third step down when he walked over and pulled her back to the top step.

She yelped in surprise and irritation, "Hey, I was making progress."

"Not fast enough," he said strictly as he picked her up bridal style.

She struggled against his hold, "Put me down."

"I will put you down at the bottom of the stairs. Now hold still or you're going to hurt yourself," he began his descent to the bottom of the stairs.

She growled and he could have sworn she sounded like an angry cat. Ignoring his warning she began hitting his shoulder repeatedly. His grip tightened almost painfully as he nearly lost his footing. She yelped, sensing his feet stumble, and held onto his shoulders and neck for dear life. Luckily he had the sense to freeze his movements long enough to catch his balance.

"Okay, I'll hold still. Please don't drop me," she whimpered.

She wanted to ask him to loosen his grip but based on the story and his current attitude he was trying to be kind and was a bit out of practice. Instead she just held on and waited for him to get to the bottom of the stairs. When he finally set her down she took a moment to regain her balance.

Nuada was surprised when she stepped back and kneeled, bowing her head to him. It had been a long time since anyone had bowed to him and here she was, a complete stranger who had just been fighting his hold on her, bowing to a Prince she knew nothing about.

"Thank you My Lord. I apologize for my rude behavior a moment ago. I hope you can forgive me," she said solemnly.

He wasn't sure how to react so he went with learning how to predict her behavior, "If you knew you were being rude then why did you behave as you did?"

Her breathing quickened and she bowed her head lower indicating her sense of shame, "I panicked My Lord."

He fought the urge to roll his eyes, "I know that. I want to know why you panicked."

She seemed to shrink at his irritated tone, "I'm used to the ground being against my feet My Lord. Being picked up startled me. That's all."

He nodded in understanding after a moment of taking this information in, "I see. Have you finished cleaning the throne room?"

She gave a barely noticeable shake of her head, still keeping it respectfully bowed, "No, My Lord. I haven't."

He thought for a moment and decided his next move, "Then tomorrow you will finish cleaning it and the next time I pick you up to carry you, you will behave with the same respect you are showing me now. Do I make myself clear?"

She swallowed and nodded, "Yes, My Lord. Crystal clear," that phrase almost sparked a memory as she got the strongest sense of dejavu.

Noticing her sudden uncertainty in what little of her face he could see he moved to kneel in front of her and drew her just close enough to whisper into her ear, "If you are going to serve me little witch then you'll have to learn to trust me. Is that clear to you?"

When he began speaking she pushed her thoughts aside to listen to him, causing the momentary confusion to fade from her eyes, "Crystal clear, My Lord," there it was again. That feeling that she had uttered those words before to someone important.

Realizing that the memory wasn't coming she filed it away in her mind to use later. Instead she noticed a scent, also ringing a bell. She just couldn't place it but there it was. It seemed to be coming from Nuada. As soon as she figured out that she was sniffing him she quickly pulled back into her bow, hoping he hadn't noticed.

He had but chose not to ask. He'd scared her enough for today. Instead he gently gripped her shoulders and pulled her to her feet as he stood, "We should go eat. The natural light from above is fading so I assume we should be getting to bed soon after dinner."

She nodded but made no move to go back to her room where said dinner awaits. She may know where the prince is but she was not sure where se was standing. He seemed to know that since he took hold of her hand and began leading her in the correct direction.

Nuala and the goblin had witnessed the whole scene but chose to keep their thoughts to themselves until they were all sitting down for dinner.

The goblin finally broke the silence during their meal, "So your highnesses how did you come to be alive again?"

"Ella brought us back," Nuala replied.

"Ella," the girl asked.

"From what little memory you have that appears to be your name," the princess said.

"What indicated that," she inquired.

"When the man that was telling you of my people you asked him a question and he called you Ella when he answered," Ella then recalled that small detail she had pushed aside.

She swallowed feeling a fear grow in her heart, "That's the name the voice in my dreams calls out. I'd been hoping it was not calling for me."

"you're nothing to fear from a dream. It's gone when you awake safely in my kingdom," Nuada commented.

Part of her knew he was right but another still feared to sleep in case that dream came back. She did her best to school her features and brush fear aside, "Yes, My Lord."

"Oh, child I've been meaning to tell you, it's safe to go to the surface. The war has ended," the goblin said after a moment of silence.

"Who won," Ella asked.

"We did," he replied.

"So the humans are gone," she finished her soup and pushed her bowl aside.

"Indeed they are. We can live in peace now," the goblin looked pointedly at Nuada who smiled and nodded his agreement.

**TBC…**

**AN: Okay there is the first interesting chapter… at least in my opinion it is. The story will pick up pace as I continue. I have most of it written. I just need to get up the energy to type it out. Reviews are good motivation…hint, hint.**


	5. Jasmine

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**AN: Hope you like this. I think it's picking up a little bit as time goes on. I love writing and I enjoy reading reviews. Preferably from singed in users so feel free to sign in and review if you want to comment on this chapter or any other part of the series.**

Ella paused in her work as she heard soft footsteps approaching. She'd paid enough attention to know that Nuada's footsteps were slightly heavier. These indicated a lighter more delicate figure. It had to be Nuala. She continued scrubbing the floor when she heard the footsteps stop and her clothes rustle as she knelt beside the petit sorceress.

"You were very brave last night. How do you know you can trust my brother," she asked.

"If everything in those stories is true then I have nothing to fear from being his ally. To become his enemy would be unwise," Ella answered.

"Allies usually have a common goal," the princess pointed out.

"For the past year all I could remember was a few human songs but I had no recollection of when or where I learned them. When Master Nuada is around however, it feels like there's something there that wasn't before. I don't know what but it's better than nothing. More than once last night I got dejavu while interacting with him," she explained.

"Give me your hand," Nuala demanded gently and Ella set down the brush to obey, "I see but your sense of dejavu came after you had already bowed to him."

The girl shrugged and went back to her task, "It seemed like a good idea at the time."

"And now," Nuala inquired curiously.

"I haven't come to regret it yet. Still feels like a good idea," she finally finished the lower level of the throne room.

She heard Nuada's footsteps coming up the stairs, "Ah, sister, I was wondering where you went. It's time for lunch girls."

Nuala stood and left to go eat as Ella picked up the bucket and brush and put them on the platform. Sometime during the day she had summoned some solid stone to fill in the holes left where Goblin had removed the golden army gears. Just as she was climbing up to clean the platform Nuada's hands grabbed her waist and pulled her down.

"You can't work on an empty stomach. You'll have plenty of time to finish up after lunch," He picked her up and began carrying her.

"Yes my Lord," she settled down and relaxed in his arms.

She concentrated on his scent now. He was close enough for his scent to fill her nose without him realizing what she was doing. As she felt him take the first step down the stairs her body tensed as she was hit with another solid memory.

_She felt a light breeze on her face. She was outside. The man from her first memory handed her a small leaf and told her to smell it. She did so and smiled. She liked it._

"_That my dear it a jasmine leaf. When used by a sorceral being it can me used for a different purpose for each creature that exists in the Underground. You might find the smell is enticing. On a sorceral being it's effects are often useful in a love potion. In fact whenever a sorceral is prophesized to fall in love the other partner is likely to have the scent of jasmine on them," he told her._

She snapped out of the memory and relaxed again. The scent of Nuada was an uncanny imitation of the jasmine leaf. Was he part of a prophecy destined for a sorceress? Her head settled on his shoulder as she fought a tear. Was it her? She didn't even know who she was and she only felt more lost with each memory. At least she was getting closer to knowing who the man she remembered was. He must have been a teacher to her. That was a part of it.

"Still nervous on the stairs," he asked setting her down.

She shook her head, "I gained another past memory my Lord."

"That's nice," he took her hand and began leading her.

"My Lord," she paused and waited for him to show interest in her question.

"Yes Ella, is there something you wish to say," he kept walking.

"What if I don't like what my memories tell me about myself," she lost the fight with the tear.

He stopped and turned to her. He'd never comforted someone who was crying but he knew what he wanted someone to do for him when Wink died. Hoping for the best he pulled her into a hug and let her cry on his shoulder.

"That's the beauty of amnesia. If you remember something you don't like you have a chance to change yourself to be better," he told her.

"What if it's something I can't change," she asked.

"Then it's nothing to be ashamed of. Don't worry about it," he assured her.

"I didn't say I was ashamed. I just said I don't like it," she pointed out.

"Alright, in order to help you I need you to tell me what this memory is. Clearly it's bothering you and I don't know what to say," he st down pulling her with him.

She was silent for a moment then said, "I'm hungry."

He stood and continued walking with her. She didn't really want to tell him about the memory but she realized it was probably rude to swear loyalty to him, express feelings of difficulty over something, and then refuse to answer when he asks for details.

"I remember my teacher explaining some qualities of the jasmine leaf. How it's used on sorceral beings in love potions. That when a sorceral is prophesized to fall in love with a certain person that person is most likely to smell like jasmine," she explained.

"Why does that bother you," he asked.

"Because you smell exactly like the leaf in my memory," she replied.

He let that sink in for a second, "I'm going to pretend that didn't offend me."

"Why would you be offended," she inquired.

"Well I know I'm not exactly prince charming but still," he retorted.

That was not at all what she was thinking, "What? No, my Lord, that's not why I'm upset. It's nothing personal against you. I promise."

"Well what is it then," he demanded making her jump at his angry tone.

"It's just that now is not the best time for me to be falling in love…with anyone my Lord. I don't know who I am or where I came from. For all we know I could be married with children. I'm sorry if that upsets you my Lord but I just want to regain my memories before making any big life altering decisions," she explained hurriedly.

He waited for his anger to settle, "Ella, we don't know for sure there is a prophecy about us and there's no sense worrying about it because if there is we can't stop it from coming true on it's own. Let's just agree to be friends and if we fall in love we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

She stepped back from him nervously, "My Lord, I don't know about this. I'm content with being your servant."

He wanted to reach for her but didn't want to scare her, "I'm not saying you have to stop serving me if you don't want to. I'll be the master you seem to feel you need and you can be the friend I feel I need."

She thought about that for a moment, "Wink was your subordinate and your friend," she stated more to herself than to him.

He nodded, "Yes, and I understand why you're reluctant to stand where he stood. It's my fault he's dead."

She didn't like the sadness in his voice, "The goal he died to help you reach has been achieved. What is left to cause the anger in your heart that got your friend killed?"

He sighed, "Nothing I guess but I'm still going to have to get used to it."

She nodded in understanding and reached her hand out, "You help me heal my mind and I'll help you heal your heart."

He took hold of her and pulled her gently to his side, "So are we friends?"

She nodded, "Yes, my Lord. We're friends and we're going to help each other."

He squeezed her hand, "Thank you."

She smiled and threw her body against his in a hug before he could stop her, "Thank you too my Lord."

He half smiled and returned the hug. The amount of physical contact was something he would have to get used to but she was making an effort to trust him so he owed her some effort of his own and he intended to be a better friend to her than he had been to Mr. Wink.

**TBC…**

**AN: Hope you liked this chapter. Feel free to let me know what you think.**


	6. Learning to Trust

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Author's Note: Trust is hard to build sometimes. We all know that. Can Nuada teach Ella to trust him even with his history and the heartbreaking reactions she has to her own memories? You'll have to keep reading and find out. Hope you enjoy. Feel free to sign in and review. Also keep in mind that learning to trust someone is different for everyone depending on their own past and how they had to learn in the first place. No calling Nuada a jerk for this.**

**Ch5. Learning to Trust**

Ella had just finished cleaning the throne room and was gathering the cleaning supplies together to return to her room. Actually it was Nuada's room. Last night he'd explained that the room the goblin has let her live in was originally his. Not wanting conflict she yielded the bed to him. Once she was pretty sure he was asleep she curled up in the corner for the night. She heard his footsteps behind her and picked up the water bucket.

It happened too fast for her to think. She was fine one second and then his hand was on her shoulder. The ghost of a memory flashed in her mind and suddenly she felt like she was in danger. She wasn't sure why but she still reacted defensively. Turning fast she lashed out at him and made to escape. The next thing she knew she was on all fours pouncing around in the dark until she found herself a corner and made herself as small as she could to hide.

Nuada stared in stunned shock at Ella, the small Siamese cat, now hiding against one of the pillars by the wall. He touched his face and saw blood on his fingers when he pulled his hand back. She'd scratched him with her claws in mid-transformation. Knowing full well that she would lash out if he showed any sign of hostility he took a deep calming breath and wiped his hand on his shirt before approaching her.

"Ella," She heard him call her gently and the scent of jasmine drew slowly closer, "It's okay little witch. I'm not going to harm you. I just want to talk," she let out a small fearful meow, "Come on out little kitty. You're safe. I want to help you," stretching out her neck a little her nose bumped his finger and he scratched behind the ears to coax her out.

Tentatively she came out and he pet her for a few minutes until she was purring. He picked her up gently and she hissed, batting at his face with her paw as a sign that she wanted to be put down. He continued petting her until she settled in his arms, putting fearfully. It wasn't until he was almost back to his room with her that she returned to her human form, clinging to him like a young child being carried by a parent. He continued to stroke her hair softly as she sobbed on his shoulder.

He sat down on his bed with her still in his arms. She soon settled and relaxed in his arms. Instead of clinging to him she was now resting against him. Her breathing was beginning to slow, "Hey, don't fall asleep yet. I want to talk to you."

"I don't want to talk right now," she mumbled.

"Then just shake your head yes or no. That doesn't require you to talk," she nodded that she was listening, "Did you remember something back there," she considered it for a moment and shook her head no, "Was it a distant memory? Like you recall a strong urge or emotion but not the cause," she nodded, "Were you scared," she nodded, "Were you aware that I was the one behind you," another nod, "Did you understand, at least in theory, that I was not trying to hurt you," she whimpered and nodded again, "You need to learn to trust me."

She stirred uncomfortably in his arms, "Did I hurt you?"

"It's just a scratch," he moved her hand to show her the gashes she'd left on his face.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "Are you mad at me?"

"I was but I understand that trust takes time and effort to build," he raked his fingers through her hair.

"Are…are you going to punish me," she asked fearfully.

"I think that would take us a step back in your learning to trust me," he concluded.

She didn't want to lie and say she agreed. Some part of her felt that she could learn to trust him as both friend and master by letting him chastise her when she did something wrong, "I trust your judgment my Lord. If the thought of losing my trust is your only reason mot to punish me then do not spare me the rod."

He gave her a surprised look that he soon remembered she couldn't see, "So soon after meeting, I don't think it's best for our friendship."

She gave an amused huff, "I won't begrudge you for it. Besides how can a servant learn to trust a master that doesn't enforce his own rules."

"I don't recall making any actual rules for you yet and you've thus far obeyed my orders," he reasoned.

"Some rules don't need to be told until they're already broken. I attacked you needlessly. I showed lack of trust and disrespect my Lord. The general attitude a servant should have towards her master is a matter of common sense but on occasion needs to be reinforced," she corrected.

"You get points for honesty," he wouldn't have realized this without her telling him, "Since you are a sorceress I think I'll stick with the discipline techniques used by your ancestors."

"What are you going to do," she asked.

He sighed and continued stroking her hair, holing to keep her calm, "I'm going to take you over my knee," he waited for her to pull away but she only snuggled closer to him.

"Okay,: she said resisting the urge to go back to her cat form.

Nuala rushed to her brother's room as fast as she could. She had been in the library reading when a drop of blood fell on her book. Without checking to see what it was she knew it had something to do with her brother. She froze at the sight of her brother sitting in a dining chair with Ella over his lap.

"Brother no," she reached out a hand to signal him to stop.

"She understands why she is being punished and as you can see she is not struggling," she stated plainly.

She turned away as he began the punishment. She knew her brother could be harsh but as long as Ella wasn't outwardly protecting she couldn't really do much about it. Still she wasn't comfortable with hearing the girl cry in pain. She closed her eyes when the sound of the slaps ceased. She looked at her brother in surprise when she heard him trying to comfort his distressed servant rather than finding an object to continue the punishment that would be more painful than his hand as she had thought he would. He had pulled Ella up to sit on his lap and was rocking her gently.

"It's alright. It's over," he stroked her hair to calm her, "Did I hurt you too bad?"

She shook her head, "No my Lord."

"I hope you learned your lesson," he was beginning to seem uncharacteristically gentle in tone and behavior in Nuala's opinion.

She nodded, tightening her grip on his shirt, "Yes my Lord. I'll be more careful next time."

"That's good. We don't need anyone else getting hurt little Ella," he tried rubbing her back to help her relax when she tensed as soon as he finished talking.

"Is she alright," Nuala asked, alarmed by the fact that the girl looked like she was in shock.

"She's fine. If I'm paying attention properly she does this when a solid memory hits," Nuala answered, seemingly unaffected by the tension in the girl's muscles but his sister could feel his panic. He hoped he was right but he feared he was wrong.

Her body relaxed suddenly and she took a deep breath, "My teacher…he used to punish me like that too. He comforted me. I trusted him. He was never too harsh. He always waited to punish me until after his anger faded. He taught me to learn to trust my superiors by accepting discipline for misbehavior," she was trembling.

"Are we alright then? No hard feelings," he held her tighter.

She nodded, "Yes my Lord. We're alright," she turned her face against his chest, comforted by his closeness and warmth, "I'm tired."

He nodded in understanding and rubbed her back some more, "You can sleep soon but we need to eat dinner first. Are you hungry?"

She nodded, "Yes my Lord."

He stood and handed her over to Nuala while he took the pillow from his bed and put it on Ella's chair. He went over to the fire to get the girl a bowl of food.

"I hope you're not a vegetarian. It's chili con carne," he set the bowl on front of her.

She smiled and took a bite, "Thank you my Lord."

He sighed in slight irritation, "Do not talk with food in your mouth. It's rude."

She swallowed quickly, "I'm sorry my Lord. I seem to have forgotten my manners…that is assuming I ever learned them to begin with."

"Don't worry. I will ensure that you learn them," he reached out to move her arms so that her elbows no longer rested on the surface of the table, "Elbows off the table and you're welcome. I'm glad you like it. I made it myself."

She finished her next bite before speaking, "It's very good my Lord."

He smiled, "Thank you," she continued eating so at least he knew she trusted him to cook.

"Ella," they said when they finished eating.

"Yes my Lord," she stretched and yawned.

"I don't want you to sleep on the floor again. It's winter. You're going to get sick doing that," he began gathering up the dishes to make them easier for her to clean tomorrow.

"I have no bed. Where else am I supposed to sleep," she asked.

"Mine is right there and I don't mind sharing with a friend," he pulled her out of her seat and retrieved his pillow. When he turned around and saw the look of fear on her eyes he realized what that must have sounded like to her, "I didn't mean it like that. We are only going to sleep. If you want we won't even come in contact with each other. You face one wall and I'll face the other."

She nodded and retrieved her nightclothes so she could change in the wash room. When she returned he led her back to the bed to lay down. As he promised there was no touching. She was well on her way to trusting him completely.

**TBC…**

**AN: Hoping to see reviews but keep in mind if you don't like this story just don't read it. I write what I want to write. I take constructive criticism at arms length. I'll try anything once but if it doesn't feel right to me I won't post it.**


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